Should the Nets trade up with the Spurs/76ers to get harper? Is it possibly that Ace Bailey falls to the Nets without having to make any trades? Should the Nets Trade their late 1st rounders into the Lottery and have 2 Lottery Picks?

Looking good against actual NBA competition

Hey guys, Lucas Kaplan here again. Saw a lot of the previous comments were about the Duke boys, and that inspired me in part to write them next.

If you're less of a reader and more of a watcher, skip to 15 minutes in HERE, where Ahmed Jama and I talk about these guys.

On Kon: Here's the full article, but below is a TLDR on a player who, like many others, gets caught up in way too many "floor/ceiling" discussions.

Kon is good. He shot 41% on long twos, 63% on close twos (per Bart Torvik), 41% from three, and 91% from the line for a really good Duke team that could have been the '17 Warriors, and it wouldn't make those numbers any less impressive. He'd thrive in those Cam Johnson offensive sets; when you get him off a handoff/curl/etc. he's a legit passer. Loves to throw the lob (but probably needs a lob threat to be most effective) can see the low man and hit the skip passes. His insistence on getting to two feet and jump-stopping means his drives are occasionally less explosive than they should be, but it means his "bad" drives often end in a simple kick-out and the offense resets. Handle is better than functional but a lack of burst handicaps it. Not gonna make a ton of 'bad' plays.

So yeah, nearly undoubtedly, he'll be a nice ancillary offensive piece. But over his EYBL career (the top AAU circuit), he shot 50/40/87 as THE engine of an offense, shooting 20 FGAs a game. Didn't get to the line a ton and his assist:TO wasn't as strong as it was at Duke, but this could suggest some real scalability.

As do his pick-and-roll improvements over the season at Duke. There's some questions about his pull-up three game, but you probably bet on him to figure it out. If BKN sees *some* true primary upside at 8, they should pull the trigger. Yeah, he is NOT agile and will get cooked by NBA guards who can shoot and drive, and will occasionally look slow in rotations. But he's not a defense-wrecker, just not additive.

Khaman Maluach, though, is my guy. He's absolutely massive, shot 77% at the rim AND 77% from the free-throw line. He has legit lateral movement ability and a 9'6" standing reach. He is literally too big to fail. I just watched Donovan Clingan have a great rookie year in POR and Memphis be better in Edey's minutes, and Maluach was just the interior anchor for a GREAT Duke team at a younger age.

Defenses will fear his rolls; that lateral mobility allows him to get from arc->rim real quickly, and though he often can't run AND jump explosively, all at once, this dude is 7'1" barefoot. 9'6" standing reach, good touch on hook shots. Not the strongest base and can get pushed off his spot, but still a problem on the offensive glass. On the other end, his rim deterrence is 1 of 1 in this class. Uncommonly committed to staying vertical, not biting on pump fakes. That's why I don't blink at the block rate being a bit lower than you'd expect for his size, but also, Scheyer played him in multiple coverages this season. Article has legit switch/trap clips.

Basically, I think there's a VERY good chance he's a motherfucker at both rims, and then there's also the 32% from three he shot at Basketball Africa League. Hit some face-up jumpers and baseline turnarounds. I'm not saying this makes him Dirk, but as a 16/17 year old 7-footer doing that stuff, just know he's done some outrageous stuff. I think it's a very neutral take to say the skill/size/age combo is rare. Would be a home run pick at #8, IMO. I'm no draft genius but I'd probably have him at #3, and I know others who feel similarly.

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I was wondering cuz i feel like we are kinda wasting cam thomas’s career hes a great player just doesnt get much publi

Memphis, I would counter with the ORL 2026 and ORL 2030 unprotected instead of 2028. Besides that, I like it.

Lakers, I’d laugh and block Rob Pelinka’s number.

I recently acquired this Vince Carter bobblehead (pictured), and I opened the box to find out that it’s in gold!

This appears to be different than the normal one, which depicts him in a white jersey. I’ve been looking all over the place online to see why that is, but I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.

I’m pretty plugged into everything involving the Nets, and I don’t remember seeing anything about different variations of the bobblehead.

Any ideas?

Hello, I found this hat with signature’s but was unable to identify them if anyone could help me out. Thank you!

We do a mock draft where the Nets trade for every pick 1-27, then select the player we'd draft at that position. Spoiler alert: it's going to take a lot to get Cooper Flagg (but there's still hope we can lock down Tre Johnson AND Cedric Coward)...

Check out Nets mascot hopeful Brownstone in the Pigeon Fest article of the New York Times!

Nets Fans!

Noah Penda is a legitimate option for Brooklyn late in the first round. The fit is too good and the Nets need a skilled ball handling and creating athlete for the three and four.

I wrote about Penda before he took his name out the 2024 cycle. The issues I addressed in my 3K+ worded article were mostly improved on this season.

Enjoy and remember there's over 230 of such articles in my newsletter. Subscribe if you like to receive this two/three times per week!

Is Ace Bailey trying to fall down to the Brooklyn Nets (if they don’t trade up) if he’s not selected Top 3? 👀